That was only solidified Tuesday when the USGA announced that the club will hold five more women’s championships in the coming years. In addition to another U.S. Women’s Open in 2044, Lancaster will be the site of the 2028 U.S. Girls’ Junior, 2033 U.S. Senior Women’s Open, 2037 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and the 2040 U.S. Women’s Amateur. John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer, applauded the club’s “multi-generational” commitment of the club. “Few clubs have the history, the golf course and the community support to take on that kind of responsibility, and Lancaster has already proven it on the game's biggest stage." What was even more uplifting is what Lancaster Country Club president Lauren Stadel said: “What makes this announcement so meaningful is what it represents for our entire community. These championships will inspire young girls to come out and watch the game’s best compete—and see champions crowned right here in their own backyard.”

We’re not here to say we know for sure. What we do know is research has identified benefits for kids trained in music at a young age, and that the same reasons cited also apply to tasks required in golf. A Harvard Medical School study compared children trained in music at a young age to those with no musical training, and found the former group developed richer pathways between the two hemispheres of the brain, leading to betterr motor planning, decision-making, and executive function. According to the study, “musicians acquire and continuously practice a variety of complex motor, auditory, and multimodal skills.” In other words, musicians are forced to process information, perform a complex physical task, then react to their output in real time. For a study that isn’t about golf, it sounds a lot like golf.

As long as the United States side keeps winning every two years, the Presidents Cup will remain a punchline. In comparison to the Ryder Cup, it's a total JV event. After listening to Jacob Bridgeman describe "the call" from Brandt Snedeker, though, you realize you're doing him a huge disservice in acting as if the Presidents Cup is a joke. For a guy like Bridgeman, getting the nod to represent the U.S. is a massive career achievement, the latest sign that his play over the last two years has earned him the right to be mentioned among the elites. Who knows if he'll ever get an opportunity like this again? 

Scotland’s “ghost course” is for sale. As detailed by our Jamie Kennedy, there is a David McLay Kidd layout in a small town in Perth that was completed in 2009 but never opened, even though the course continues to be maintained. The land, once known as “Gleneagles West,” is owned by billionaire Mahdi Al Tajir, and his family in the past has cited Brexit to financial crashes and political reasoning as reasons the grounds are untouched. Houses, a hotel and spa were also planned. However, the nearly 700-acre course is now listed for by property consultancy Knight Frank. “We're expecting a huge amount of interest from across the globe in what could be a once-in-a-lifetime asset: a substantial consented resort development site, with a golf course designed by a celebrated architect, in one of Scotland's most prestigious leisure locations.” Read Kennedy’s piece on the ghost course here.

and at the top of that list, of course, is Tiger Woods. This Career Milestone Exemption would be a pathway available to tour members in the top 25 and top 50 on the career money list, but it appears that Woods, winner of a record-tying 82 tour titles, could not exercise the option as the proposed regulations currently read. According to guidelines the tour released Tuesday, players who are among the career money leaders at the end of the 2027 season have a one-time opportunity for exemption to the Championship Series in 2028. But members must play at least 15 tour events in 2027. Due to health constraints, Woods, 50, has not competed since the 2024 Open Championship. The last time he played in at least 15 events was during the 2017-18 season when he made 18 starts. The career money exemption is available beyond 2028, but eligible players must have held Championship Series membership the year prior and use it immediately the following season. 

Tyler Dennis, the tour’s chief competitions officer, said “there’s still work to do on that to finalize the exact calculations and everything,” which suggests there might be an allowance for special circumstances. Dennis added that Woods, who chairs the Future Competitions Committee spearheading changes to the tour, hasn’t explored any options that favor him. “His focus has been on trying the make the PGA Tour live past any of us, so that was clearly his orientation.”

But that hasn’t stopped many of my playing partners from trying out a look they can’t pull off. What they should’ve done was stop by the Bad Pants Open, a golf outing at Rush Creek Golf Club (celebrating its 20th year), and raise money for Special Olympics Minnesota and PGA REACH Foundation Minnesota.

The slogan is "bad pants for a great cause," and it features PGA pros and Special Olympics athletes teaming up for a best ball tournament, followed by a foursome scramble for everyone else. Last year, the event raised more than $100k. Plus, everyone got a chance to wear their hideous pants before throwing them back in the closet for (hopefully) another calendar year.

but PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said Tuesday that he expects to find a new backer well before the November tournament to prepare for proper promotional and branding. “Yeah, I feel confident,” Rolapp said during a virtual press conference. “There's several potential sponsors interested. ... There's a deadline. I don't know what it is, but I know where we are in the process, and I'm confident enough to know that we'll find one.” Good Good stepped away from the event Aug. 27 following backlash from a Callaway ad showing a male golfer pushing a woman to the ground and menacingly warning her to not touch his new driver. Callaway ended its relationship with Good Good hours before Good Good announced it would not be involved in the new tournament scheduled for Nov. 12-15 at Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa.

On a practice range, at least. The 15-time major champ was videoed hitting an iron on the range at Liberty National on Tuesday.

That looks like a pretty healthy cut. Woods is at the course to host the NEXUS Cup, one of the annual fundraisers for his TGR Foundation. This is the first time he's been seen publicly hitting golf balls since his crash and arrest in March. Woods had his driver's license suspended for five years earlier this month, but he's still allowed to operate golf carts on the course.

The 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor is still over a year away. The 2026 Presidents Cup hasn't even happened yet. But that hasn't stopped the European side from getting a headstart on the competition. On Wednesday, a large group of Euro Ryder Cuppers gathered at Adare Manor for a scouting trip as they began their quest for a third consecutive Ryder Cup victory. Watch it and wince.

As Jamie Kennedy reports, most of the heavy hitters were in attendance, including Jon Rahm, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland, as well as captain Luke Donald and his contingent of vice-captains. Fitzpatrick was seen walking in match-winning putts while Rahm called the trip "very enjoyable" and said it was "great for all of us to see each other and just in a way remember why we do what we do."

There's a long way to go between now and next September, of course, but from the looks of things, the U.S. squad is set to start the Ryder Cup on their heels once again.

Well, if you want a true pro-style warm-up, you should probably hit the gym first to do an hour of active stretching and light lifting. But if you're skipping straight to the range, start with five shots that average about 95 yards.

That's what data from tour players' warm-up sessions reveals.

Only a handful of players start with shots either short or long of that number. 95-ish yards seems to be the sweet spot: A three-quarter style shot that is long enough to get the body moving, but still easy enough that you can focus on making crisp contact above all else.

More insights here.